Sports – Tulsa Beaconhttp://tulsabeacon.com
Tulsa's Family NewspaperFri, 04 Aug 2017 22:42:11 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.1Go visit BB&T Ballpark in Downtown Charlotte, N.C.http://tulsabeacon.com/go-visit-bbt-ballpark-in-downtown-charlotte-n-c/
Fri, 04 Aug 2017 03:11:52 +0000http://tulsabeacon.com/?p=6917CHARLOTTE, N.C. – I recently performed the National Anthem prior to a Charlotte Knights baseball game and this was the second year in a row I had the honor to do so. I always enjoy visiting BB&T Ballpark in Downtown Charlotte, but in a lot of ways it reminds me of home – the Tulsa Drillers home, that is, ONEOK Field.

The Drillers’ new ballpark opened in April 2010, while the Charlotte Knights ballpark opened in March 2014. However, the design of the two ballparks is very similar. Both stadiums are situated downtown, or “Uptown” as they refer to the area in Charlotte. Both ballparks are surrounded by high-rise apartments, office buildings and the like. Plus, both ballparks are of the new “open-air” design; where you can see the game from anywhere as you walk around the concourse.

Another similarity between the stadium in Charlotte and the one here in Tulsa is that they both have a suite level that includes a porch section of seats in front of each glassed-in suite, and because of the abundance and demand for suites in ballparks these days, they both have small press box areas for the media. Tulsa’s press box is a little larger than the one in Charlotte, but not by much.

The Charlotte Knights made the move in 2014 from a ballpark that was situated across the state line in South Carolina. It appears the fans have really taken to the move downtown.

“It’s been a very positive thing for us and our fans love it,” said media relations director Tom Viola. “There has been a lot of development in the city, especially downtown with the ballpark being here.”

I certainly can attest to that. Last year there were a couple of buildings visible beyond the outfield walls that were under construction, this year they are completed and occupied. Like in many cities, young urban professionals have made the move to apartments and homes in the downtown area.

“So many people now live in the center city, that they can walk to the games from home, or come by after work,” Viola said.

The combination of a new ballpark and so many people either working or living in the downtown area has contributed to an increase in attendance for the team that struggled to draw fans at their previous home ballpark.

“We have led minor league baseball in attendance all three years we’ve been in this park,” Viola said. “Plus, we’ve been real fortunate to host other exhibition games here like college games, the Chicago White Sox against our team, and USA vs. Cuba twice (2015 and 2017).”

Another great thing about BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte is they serve Sahlen’s hot dogs in the concession stands and in the press box. Sahlen’s has been a family favorite of ours since growing up in Western New York. They are made in Buffalo, and are only sold in the grocery stores in Western New York and in the Charlotte area. That may be because there are so many Buffalo transplants in North Carolina. Along with BB&T Ballpark, the only other sports venues that serve Sahlen’s hot dogs are the homes of the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bisons, Western New York Flash, and Florida Panthers.

When I worked for the Jamestown Expos in the 1970s and 1980s, we served Sahlen’s hot dogs at our stadium. I bought some packages of Sahlen’s hot dogs at a grocery store in Charlotte before leaving and we’ve already enjoyed several at home.

The Knights are the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, and due to many injuries at the Major League level, the Knights have seen many of their star players get called up to Chicago this season. That has made things a little more challenging for manager Mark Grudzielanek and his staff.

However, one player the White Sox are content to keeping in Charlotte for the time being is one of the top prospects in all minor league baseball, Yoan Moncado. The 22-year-old, second baseman from Cuba is biding his time at Triple-A, however, it may be that the White Sox don’t want to rush him along, while at the same time, protecting his contract status.

If you’re a minor league baseball fan like I am, and you enjoy visiting different ballparks around the country, you need to put BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte on your list; then let me know what you think after you’ve visited there.

]]>Who is the Best Football Coach in the American Athletic Conference?: Only one AAC coach has more than two years’ tenurehttp://tulsabeacon.com/who-is-the-best-football-coach-in-the-american-athletic-conference/
Fri, 04 Aug 2017 02:26:04 +0000http://tulsabeacon.com/?p=6915Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo is entering his 10th season as head coach, making him the longest tenured skipper in the American Athletic Conference.

Tulsa Coach Phillip Montgomery and Coach Chad Morris are next in terms of how long they have been at their respective schools. And they are both beginning their third season.

The AAC has five new head coaches at Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, South Florida and Temple. Coaches at East Carolina, Memphis, Tulane and Central Florida are about to begin only their second season.That doesn’t mean the newest coaches are inexperienced. Coach Charlie Strong of South Florida has been head coach at Texas and Louisville and Coach Luke Fickell was a long-time coordinator at Ohio State.

Here is a rundown of the experience of AAC head coaches.

10th Year

Ken Niumatalolo

Niumatalolo has been head coach at Navy for nine years and with the school for a total of 19 years. His overall record is 77-42 (64 percent) and he is the winningest coach in Navy history. Navy had a record 11 wins in 2015 when they shared the league title with Houston in the first year for Navy in the AAC.

Niumatalolo played quarterback for Hawaii. He was an assistant at Nevada Las Vegas for three years.

Third Year

Phillip Montgomery, Tulsa

In his first season at TU, Montgomery took the Golden Hurricane from 2 wins to six wins and the Independence Bowl. That season, TU was 11th in the nation in passing and 13th in total offense. Last year, Tulsa improved to 10-3 (6-2 in the AAC) and played Central Michigan in a bowl game.

Montgomery was a highly successful offensive coordinator for Baylor before coming to TU. Before Baylor, Montgomery was an assistant at Houston. He played quarterback at Tarleton State.

Chad Morris, SMU

Morris was named head coach on December 1, 2014 after five seasons as a collegiate offensive coordinator. In 2010, Morris was the associate head coach/offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at The University of Tulsa. From TU, he went to Clemson as offensive coordinator from 2011-14.

He had an extensive tour as head coach in several high schools in Texas, including Eustace, Elysian Fields, Bay City, Stephenville and Lake Travis. His degree is from Texas A&M.

SMU was 5-7 last season and 2-10 in 2015.

Second Year

Scott Frost, Central Florida

Frost was hired as UCF head coach on December 1, 2015. After the Knights went 0-12 in 2015, Frost went 6-6 in the regular 2016 season and took them to the AutoNation Cure Bowl in Orlando. In 2016, Frost was named a national semifinalist for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award from the Maxwell Football Club.

Frost played at Stanford under Coach Bill Walsh. He had coaching stops at Nebraska, Kansas State, and Northern Iowa and was offensive coordinator at Oregon before being hired as head coach at UCF.

Scottie Montgomery, East Carolina

Montgomery was the Duke associate head coach for two years before coming to ECU. He was on the Duke staff as an assistant for seven years. He was an assistant for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL under Head Coach Mike Tomlin for three years.

Montgomery played collegiately for Duke and played professionally for the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders.

Mike Norvell, Memphis

In 2016, Novell had the most wins by a first-year coach (eight) in program history and was the first rookie coach to lead the Tigers to bowl eligibility in his first year. The highlight was a 48-44 upset of No. 18 Houston.

Norvell played at Central Arkansas. He was an assistant coach at UCA and later joined Todd Graham’s staff at The University of Tulsa. Norvell followed Graham to Pittsburgh and Arizona State. He was offensive coordinator at ASU.

Willie Fritz, Tulane

Fritz is just three wins away from reaching 200 wins as a college head coach. Of those 197 wins, 61 were at the Division 1 level and 158 at other levels. He led Tulane to a 4-8 record last season.

Fritz played at Pittsburg State in Kansas and he started his coaching career there as an assistant. He came to Tulane from Georgia Southern where he had a two-year record of 17-7. He also was head coach at Sam Houston State and was head coach at Central Missouri. Fritz was an assistant at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in Kansas and Willis High School in Texas.

First Season

Geoff Collins, Temple

Collins was hired on December 14, 2016. He played linebacker for Western Carolina. Collins was defensive coordinator for Florida (2015), Mississippi State (2011-14) and Florida International (2010).

Collins was recruiting coordinator for Central Florida and was an assistant coach at Alabama, Georgia Tech, Albright College, Fordham and Western Carolina University. He also was an assistant coach at Franklin High School in North Carolina.

Luke Fickell, Cincinnati

Fickell played noseguard for Ohio State (1992-96). He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Ohio State and then was hired as an assistant at Akron. He returned to the Buckeyes and was head coach of Ohio State in 2011 temporarily – after that year he was defensive coordinator from 2012-16. His record in 2011 was 6-7, with a fourth place finish in the Big Ten an appearance in the Gator Bowl.

Randy Edsall, Connecticut

Edsall was the Connecticut head for 12 seasons from 1999-2010 and he was hired back in for this season. Edsall was the head coach at Maryland from 2011-2015. He has the most wins in program history (74) and has coached in the most games.

Edsall also had assistant coaching jobs at Georgia Tech, Syracuse and with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. Last season, he was director of research for the Detroit Lions.

Major Applewhite, Houston

Major Applewhite was named head coach at Houston on December 9, 2016, after Tom Herman accepted the head coaching job for the Texas Longhorns. Applewhite was a collegiate quarterback for the Longhorns.

Applewhite has been an assistant coach at Syracuse, Rice, Alabama, Texas and most recently, offensive coordinator at Houston.

Charlie Strong, South Florida

In three years at Texas, Strong didn’t win as many games (16-21) as Longhorn fans wanted and he was fired and then hired by South Florida on December 11, 2016.

Before taking the Texas job, Strong was a two-time Big East Coach of the Year at Louisville. Strong was defensive coordinator at The University of Florida and was part of two national championship runs. Fifteen of his 34 seasons as a college coach have been in the State of Florida. Strong also coached at South Carolina, Notre Dame, Mississippi, Southern Illinois and Texas A&M.

]]>NASCAR fans will enjoy Curb Museum for Motorsportshttp://tulsabeacon.com/nascar-fans-will-enjoy-curb-museum-for-motorsports/
Thu, 27 Jul 2017 20:43:38 +0000http://tulsabeacon.com/?p=6880KANNAPOLIS, NC – Mike Curb is an amazing man. He’s a musician, recording artist, record label owner, owner and sponsor of several race cars, politician, and philanthropist. Recently, I toured the Curb Museum for Music and Motorsports in Kannapolis, North Carolina.

The museum is appropriately located on Dale Earnhardt Boulevard; Curb was friends with Earnhardt and owned a car driven by Earnhardt. Curb also has owned NASCAR, Indy cars and Sprint cars driven by Richard Petty, Dale Jarrett, Ron Bouchard, and Dan Wheldon, just to name a few.

Curb is also co-owner of a car with Tony Stewart that races in the World of Outlaws event in Tulsa each year.

He began his career as a singer, songwriter, and piano player, appearing on dozens of albums. While in college, at San Fernando Valley State, Curb wrote a little song entitled You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda (Go Little Honda) which the car company used in their ads.

Over the years, Curb has composed or supervised over 50 film scores and has written over 400 songs.

He wrote for and produced Roy Orbison, the Osmond Family, Lou Rawls, Sammy Davis, Jr., and others. He also signed artists such as War, Richie Havens, Gloria Gaynor, Johnny Bristol, Exile, The Four Seasons and many more. Curb received BMI awards for composing Burning Bridges for Clint Eastwood’s Kelly’s Heroes, and for composing All for the Love of Sunshine, which was Hank Williams, Jr.’s first No. 1 hit.

As a politician, Curb was Lieutenant Governor of California (1979-1983) under Democrat Governor Jerry Brown. However, in 1980 Curb served as the National Co-Chairman of Republican Ronald Reagan’s successful presidential campaign, and was later appointed by Reagan to be chairman of the national finance committee in Washington, D.C.

In auto racing, Curb is a co-owner of the Curb Agajanian Performance Group, a team that has won 10 national championships, but his auto racing career goes back to the early 1980s.

I had the opportunity to interview Gene Overcash the manager of the Curb Motorsports Museum.

“I’ve been with Mike for about 15 years. We’re in a new building, and we’ve been here for about eight years,” Overcash said. “It’s a 20,000-square foot building, with 30-something race cars in here. All kinds of pictures of racing that Mike’s done and of cars he’s owned or sponsored.”

One of the highlights for me was getting to see one of Richard Petty’s cars. I was a big Petty fan, and met him at his home in Randleman, NC, back in 1978.

“Mike owned the Richard Petty team when Petty won his 199th and 200th wins,” Overcash said. “He donated the 200th win car to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, but the 199th win car is here. Also on display, is the car driven by Dan Wheldon when he won the 2011 Indianapolis 500.”

Wheldon died tragically five months later from injuries sustained in a crash during the IZOD IndyCar World Championship at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 16, 2011).

“As a part of Curb Records, you’ll see LeAnn Rimes first car she bought when she won Star Search,” Overcash said. “It’s a black, 1996 Dodge Viper, it has a sunroof that comes off and no side windows. There aren’t any door handles on the outside, either.”

Overcash has had an interesting career working for Curb. He began as a member of the race team in 2000, then toured the country with “show cars.”

“I would take out the Morton’s Salt car and the Quality Farm and Country car,” Overcash said. “We would load a show car up, take it to the stores for people to come and look at and take pictures. I would stay out for three or four days, pull the show car around to stores and had a great time. That was one of the best times I ever had. If you wanted to see the country that was the way to do it; pull a show car around and you’ll see the country.”

As a philanthropist, Curb has donated millions of dollars to several universities and many buildings on college campuses bear his name. There is even the Mike Curb Music Conservatory at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.

The Curb Museum for Music and Motorsports is open from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is no cost to get in, however, there is a donation box by the door. They will even open on the weekends for private tours for large groups who make appointments in advance. For more information, visit www.curb.com.

]]>5 Sooners, 4 Cowboys on Preseason All-Big 12 teamhttp://tulsabeacon.com/5-sooners-4-cowboys-on-preseason-all-big-12-team/
Thu, 27 Jul 2017 20:42:34 +0000http://tulsabeacon.com/?p=6878New Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley has one big advantage in his first season – the best quarterback in the Big 12.

OU senior quarterback Baker Mayfield was named the offensive player of the year and a first-team selection (for the second year in a row) on the 2017 Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team, as chosen by media representatives who cover the league.

Mayfield was a 2016 Heisman Trophy finalist and named to the All-Big 12 First Team while leading the Sooners to their second-straight Big 12 Championship and a win over Auburn in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. He is the only player in OU history to register at least 5,000 career passing yards (7,665) and rushing yards (582). Last season, Mayfield set the FBS single season pass efficiency rating record with a mark of 196.4 and also led the nation in completion percentage (70.9) and yards per pass attempt (11.1). He threw for 3,965 yards and 40 touchdowns against just eight interceptions.

Riley replaced former OU coach Bob Stoops, who retired.

Five Sooners were named All-Big 12. That includes Mayfield, tight end Mark Andrews, offensive lineman Orlando Brown, linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and defensive back Jordan Thomas.

Brown started every contest last year at left tackle and earned second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and Football Writers Association of America. He became the first sophomore to be named Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year as he allowed just one sack over the course of 659 snaps.

Andrews was named to the All-Big 12 First Team by the league’s coaches and the AP in 2016 after catching 31 passes for 489 yards and seven touchdowns. He finished second among Sooners in touchdown catches, third in receiving yards and fourth in receptions. Of his 50 career receptions, 14 have gone for touchdowns, giving him a TD-to-catch ratio of 28.0 percent.

In his first season as a starter last year, Okoronkwo had a team-high 12 tackles for loss and tied the OU record for sacks by a linebacker with 9.0. He also added 71 tackles, two forced fumbles and three pass breakups en route to earning second-team All-Big 12 recognition by the coaches and AP.

Thomas broke up 17 passes and intercepted two more in 13 games. His 1.5 passes defended per contest tied for fifth most nationally. A first-team All-Big 12 honoree by the coaches and AP, Thomas finished the season with 49 tackles, including 2.0 for loss. His 17 breakups tied for third most in OU single-season history and were eight more than he had in his first two seasons combined.

Washington is ranked by Mel Kiper as the No. 1 senior receiver in the country and is listed as the best returning receiver in college football heading into 2017 by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg and by Athlon Sports. His 26 career receiving touchdowns mark the highest total among all active FBS players heading into 2017, and he leads all active receivers from Power Five conferences with 2,923 career receiving yards and 19.2 career yards per reception.

Hill was the 2016 FBS freshman rushing champion with 1,142 yards, which makes him Oklahoma State’s all-time leading freshman rusher. That total also marked the fifth-most for a freshman in Big 12 Conference history. In addition to being the only OSU freshman to ever surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season, Hill is the only freshman in school history to rush for 100 yards in six games and no other Cowboy freshman has done it more than three times.

Crabtree has 34 career starts entering his senior season. He was also the leader of an offensive line that paved the way for a substantial uptick in the running game over the course of the past two seasons.

Flowers has more career tackles than any current member of the team with 200. He was a second team All-Big 12 selection by the coaches last year and his seven pass break-ups led the team. He’s been in the Cowboys’ starting lineup since his freshman season.

OU and Texas had the most Big 12 selections with five players picked. Oklahoma State, Kansas State and TCU each had four players on the team.

The honorees include 14 seniors, 12 juniors and three sophomores. Only three players were unanimous selections at their position with Kansas defensive lineman Dorance Armstrong Jr., Oklahoma offensive lineman Orlando Brown and Oklahoma State receiver James Washington. Fourteen were named to the 2016 All-Big 12 First Team while eight were on the second team.

Lineman Dorance Armstrong Jr. (Kansas) is the Defensive Player of the Year and quarterback Will Grier (West Virginia) was chosen Newcomer of the Year.

Armstrong was a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection in 2016 as a sophomore. He registered 10.0 sacks to place second in the Conference and 18th nationally. His 20.0 tackles-for-loss led the Big 12 and was the fifth-best total in the NCAA.

Grier begins his first season as a junior signal caller for West Virginia after sitting out 2016 to fulfill NCAA transfer requirements. He played in six games and started five as a redshirt freshman at Florida in 2015, completing 106-of-161 passes for 1,204 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Preseason All-Big 12 Team

Offensive player of the year – Quarterback Baker Mayfield, OU

Defensive player of the year – Defensive end Dorance Armstrong, Jr., Kansas

Newcomer of the year – Quarterback Will Grier, West Virginia

Offense

Quarterback – Baker Mayfield, OU

Running back – Justice Hill, OSU

Running back – Justin Crawford, WVU

Fullback – Winston Dimel, KSU

Wide receiver – James Washington, OSU

Wide receiver – Allen Lazard, ISU

Wide receiver – Keke Coutee, Texas Tech

Tight end – Mark Andrews, OU

Offensive line – Orlando Brown, OU

Offensive line – Connor Williams, Texas

Offensive line – Dalton Risner, KSU

Offensive line – Austin Schlottmann, TCU

Offensive line – Zach Crabtree, OSU

Kick/punt returner – KaVontai Turpin, TCU

Defense

Defensive line – Dorance Armstrong, Jr., KU

Defensive line – K.J. Smith, Baylor

Defensive line – Reggie Walker, KSU

Defensive line – Poona Ford, Texas

Defensive line – Malcolm Roach, Texas

Linebacker – Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, OU

Linebacker – Malik Jefferson, Texas

Linebacker – Travin Howard, TCU

Defensive back – D.J. Reed, KSU

Defensive back – Jordan Thomas, OU

Defensive back – Tre Flowers, OSU

Defensive back – Kamari Cotton-Moya, ISU

Defensive back – Nick Orr, TCU

Punter – Michael Dickson, Texas

]]>OU picked to win the Big 12http://tulsabeacon.com/ou-picked-to-win-the-big-12/
Thu, 27 Jul 2017 20:41:48 +0000http://tulsabeacon.com/?p=6876For the fifth straight season, the Sooners are expected to win the Big 12, according to the preseason media poll.

OU grabbed 19 of 32 first-place votes and to nudge out Oklahoma State for the top spot. The Cowboys received 12 first-place votes while Kansas State picked up the final first-place nod.

For the fifth time in the seven years since the Big 12 moved to 10 teams, OU has been picked to win this year’s league championship in a preseason media poll released by the conference office Thursday.

If Oklahoma follows through and wins the 2017 league title, it will mark the Sooners’ 11th Big 12 championship and third straight. No other school has won more than three total. Since OU’s first Big 12 title in 2000, no other program has won more than two.

The Sooners return 16 starters from last year’s team that finished 11-2 under former head coach Bob Stoops and was the first to go 9-0 in the Big 12 regular season. OU beat Auburn 35-19 in the Sugar Bowl and finished No. 3 in the Coaches Poll and No. 5 in the AP Top 25 Poll. Nine offensive starters are back for 2017, including Preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Baker Mayfield, who has finished in the top four of Heisman Trophy voting each of the last two years. OU, which also returns its entire starting offensive line, welcomes back seven defensive starters, not including punter and placekicker Austin Seibert.

The Big 12 will holds its first championship game since 2010 on Dec. 1 or 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game will feature the top two finishers in the league standings.

Big 12 Football Preseason Poll

Oklahoma (19) 303

Oklahoma State (12) 294

K-State (1) 231

Texas 213

TCU 202

West Virginia 183

Baylor 129

Texas Tech 85

Iowa State 83

Kansas 37

]]>Prammanasudh chosen for TU HofFhttp://tulsabeacon.com/prammanasudh-chosen-for-tu-hoff/
Thu, 20 Jul 2017 13:14:47 +0000http://tulsabeacon.com/?p=6822Former University of Tulsa golfer Stacy Prammanasudh, will join an illustrious class of inductees into the TU Athletic Hall of Fame this fall. Other inductees will be Ed Dubie (football, baseball, track and basketball, 1928-31), David Smoot (men’s track and field, 1960-63), Wes Hamilton (football, 1971-75), Lauren Lindsay (softball, 2007-10), and the 1982 TU football team. The induction ceremony will be September 29.

Prammanasudh (1988-02) was a four-time first-team NGCA All-American, becoming only the second athlete to earn first-team All-America honors in all four years (1999-2002). She played in all 44 collegiate tournaments and was the individual medalist in 10 career events, just one shy of Nancy Lopez’s school record 11 tournament wins. Prammanasudh was named the three-time Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

In 2002 and 2003, Prammanasudh competed on the Futures Tour and won twice (Frye Chevrolet Classic, Lincoln Financial Futures Golf Classic). At the end of 2003, she was named Futures Tour Player of the Year, earning her full exempt status on the LPGA Tour the following year. She went on to play 10 seasons on the LPGA Tour, winning two tour events; Franklin American Mortgage Championship (2005), Fields Open in Hawaii (2007).

Dubie (football, baseball, track and basketball, 1928-31) earned 12 letters, one a year in four sports. As quarterback on the football team, Dubie led Tulsa to a 26-6 win over Arkansas in the first game ever played at Skelly Stadium in 1930. Dubie was a guard/forward on the basketball team and captained the team for three seasons. He later went on to become the most successful football coach in Sand Springs history, where the basketball arena is named in his honor (Ed Dubie Fieldhouse).

Smoot (men’s track and field, 1960-63) was a member of the only TU track and field teams to win the Missouri Valley Conference Championship (in 1961 and 1962). He won the MVC pole vault championship three consecutive years and set an MVC record each year, including his best vault of 14 feet, 5 inches as a senior in 1963.

Hamilton (football, 1971-75) was an all-Missouri Valley Conference offensive guard in 1974 and 1975 for the Golden Hurricane, while earning recognition as Tulsa’s Best Blocking Lineman as a junior. Hamilton was picked in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft, played nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. One of Hamilton’s sons, Ben, is an offensive lineman with the Seattle Seahawks.

Lindsay (softball, 2007-10) becomes the first-ever Hall of Fame inductee from the sport of softball. She was a 2010 NSCA third-team All-American, while being named the 2010 C-USA Player of the Year. Lindsay concluded her career with a .357 batting average, 50 home runs and a .671 slugging percentage. A three-time first-team all-Conference USA selection, Lindsay also earned NSCA All-Region honors in 2009 and 2010.

The 1982 TU football team is still considered one of the top teams in school history, and became just the fourth team in school history to post 10 victories. The Hurricane posted a 10-1 record with wins over Air Force, Oklahoma State and Kansas, with the only loss coming on the road at the hands of No. 13-ranked Arkansas. Tulsa won a third-straight Missouri Valley Conference title with a 6-0 league record.

Besides the induction ceremony and dinner, the inductees will also be recognized at halftime of the Tulsa-Navy football game on Saturday, Sept. 30.

MOVING ON UP

Just like the players, other staff members of the Tulsa Oilers are looking to advance their careers to the next level in hockey and ultimately earn a position in the NHL. Recently, Oilers equipment manager Colten Wilson was hired by the Syracuse Crunch, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tulsa plays in the ECHL, the Double-A level of pro hockey, while the AHL is the Triple-A level, a step below the NHL.

“I still don’t think it has sunk in completely,” Wilson said in a statement released by the team. “It’s definitely a great opportunity to continue my experience in this business and get another step closer to the ultimate goal.”

The Bloomington, Illinois, native spent one season with the Bloomington Blaze in the CHL before starting with the Oilers in 2013. He spent four seasons in Tulsa, where he played a pivotal role in hockey operations. Of his 348 games in pro hockey, 282 of them were with the Oilers.

“The biggest thing I’ve taken from my experiences so far are the loyal relationships. Having management that trusts you to do your job goes a long way,” said Wilson. “I’m very thankful for [former Oilers Head Coach] Jason Christie and the entire front office for all the extra help along the way.”

He recently had the opportunity to attend Tampa Bay’s Development Camp, where he got to know their staff. He will start in Syracuse as their head equipment manager in August for his first AHL season.

]]>OU, OSU and TU football players make preseason listshttp://tulsabeacon.com/ou-osu-and-tu-football-players-make-preseason-lists/
Thu, 20 Jul 2017 13:13:41 +0000http://tulsabeacon.com/?p=6820University of Tulsa senior D’Angelo Brewer, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield and offensive lineman Orlando Brown plus Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver James Washington were named to the 2017 Maxwell Award Watch List, it was announced by the Maxwell Football Club.

The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell, has been given to America’s College Player of the Year since 1937. Returning Maxwell Award winner Lamar Jackson (Louisville) headlines the 2017 watch list class.

Rudolph has quarterbacked OSU to a 22-6 record as a starter and has led the Cowboys to eight victories in games in which they trailed during the second half. He led all FBS quarterbacks returning in 2017 in both interception avoidance and touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2016, and he is already the owner of no fewer than 11 school records.

Washington is one of only three Cowboys ever with 10 or more receiving touchdowns in multiple seasons, joining Justin Blackmon and Rashaun Woods; and he is one of five Oklahoma State players in history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons, joining Justin Blackmon, Rashaun Woods, Hart Lee Dykes and Adarius Bowman.

Brewer, a 5-9 running back from Tulsa’s Central High School, returns as the American Athletic Conference’s top rusher from a year ago. With his 1,435 rushing yards in 2016, Brewer was second on the league’s rushing list behind teammate James Flanders. Brewer and Flanders became only the second Tulsa running duo in school history to each rush for over 1,000 yards in the same season.

A second-team all-conference selection a year ago, Brewer has rushed for 2,400 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career to rank ninth on the school’s all-time rushing chart. He enters the 2017 season needing 1,251 yards to tie Tarrion Adams (2005-08) for the school’s all-time rushing record.

Last year, Brewer became part of NCAA history when he and his teammates became the first to have a 3,000-yard passer (Dane Evans), two 1,000-yard rushers (Brewer and James Flanders) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Josh Atkinson and Keevan Lucas).

Sooner linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and defensive back Jordan Thomas are on the watch list for the Bednarik Award for the college defensive player of the year.

]]>OU to head ‘down under’http://tulsabeacon.com/ou-to-head-down-under/
Thu, 20 Jul 2017 13:13:20 +0000http://tulsabeacon.com/?p=6818The University of Oklahoma men’s basketball team will make a 12-day trip this summer to New Zealand and Australia with four games of international competition in preparation for the 2017-18 season. The Sooners will depart on August 3 and return on August 14.

Oklahoma opens its trip in Auckland, New Zealand, against New Zealand Select on August 6 before traveling to Australia for a trio of games, including two against teams from the country’s premier professional basketball league, the NBL. Oklahoma will face the Southerland Sharks on August 9, the Sydney Kings (NBL) on August 10 and the Cairns Taipans (NBL) on August 13.

The Sooners will have multiple sightseeing opportunities such as snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and touring the Sydney Opera House.

“For our program, this foreign tour couldn’t come at a better time,” said Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger. “The opportunity for our young team to travel abroad is monumental in developing our group for the upcoming season while allowing us to grow together by traveling to another part of the world. From the sightseeing, the camaraderie and the talented competition we’ll face, this promises to be an excellent and memorable 12 days for our players, staff and entire program.”

The NCAA allows basketball teams the opportunity to travel outside the United States to face foreign competition once every four years. This will mark the Sooners’ fourth foreign tour. Kruger and the Sooners most recently traveled to France and Belgium for 10 days in 2013. Oklahoma also traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica, in 2003 under coach Kelvin Sampson and to Vancouver, B.C., in 2007 under Jeff Capel.

The trip will be especially significant for redshirt-sophomore forward Matt Freeman, who will visit his hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, with his teammates.

“It’s going to be pretty special,” said Freeman. “For me, the amount of time I get to go home is very limited during the year, so anytime I get to go home is meaningful. It’s extra special that I’ll get to be there with my other family – getting to take everyone home that’s close to me here and show them where I’ve been brought up. It’s going to be a really memorable trip and really fun too.”

In preparation for the trip, the NCAA allows 10 additional preseason practices. OU was tentatively scheduled to practice at Lloyd Noble Center on July 9, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31 along with August 1 and 2. As with the regular season, all Oklahoma men’s basketball practices are open to the public.

USA Today Sports reported on the 2015-16 finances for NCAA Division I programs and OU athletics was ranked at No. 6 in revenue.

Oklahoma earned $150,373,216 in total revenue that year, up from $134,269,349 the previous year. OU’s expenses were $127.4 million.

The biggest increase was in contributions. From 2015 to 2016, OU gained $14.5 million in contributions, bringing the 2016 total to $46.6 million. The increase was likely due by the fundraising for the renovations to the south end zone of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

OU’s total expenses increased from 2015 to 2016, rising by nearly $4.3 million. The gain wasn’t as large as it was from 2014 to 2015, when expenses jumped by almost $10 million.

Texas’ athletics checked in with the second-highest revenue in the country and first in the Big 12, with $187.9 million. The Longhorns also had the most expenses in the conference — and the NCAA — at $171.4 million. West Virginia was third in the conference with revenues of $105.1 million.

Texas A&M athletics topped the list, bringing in $194.4 million. Ohio State, Alabama and Michigan rounded out the rest of the top-5.

Oklahoma State was at No. 37 nationally in revenue with $93,672,676, down about $2.2 million from a year ago. Its total expenses were $92,926,534, also drop of $217,862 from 2015.

OSU was the Big 12’s fourth-leading earner, just ahead of Kansas ($90,658,829).